Emeralds are a gemstone variety of the mineral beryl. This puts this gemstone in the same family with aquamarines. The main distinguishing feature is that all emeralds are green. Although the level of green can range from yellow-green to blue-green, an emerald’s primary color must be green. Emeralds are one of the most well known of all gemstones and is the birthstone for the month of May. Emeralds can be found across the world in Brazil, Zambia, India and Russia. In the United States, emeralds can be found near the Blue Ridge Parkway in Hiddenite, North Carolina.